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You can get out of credit card fees by asking, survey finds

This simple life hack might save you a few extra bucks; just ask.

A new report from an online credit card marketplace survey shows that most people can get out of late fees, lower their annual fee, and get a lower interest rate simply by asking.

According to the CreditCards.com survey, 84 percent of major credit cardholders who asked for a late fee waiver were successful. Additionally, 70 percent lowered their annual fee just by asking and 85 percent were successful in asking for a higher credit limit.

Asking for a lower interest rate is less successful, but a majority at 56 percent of people who asked, got their wish.

Poll: It's easy to get rid of credit card fees if you ask - CreditCards.com

But the study says that not enough people are taking advantage of this seeming life hack. Just 43 percent of cardholders ask for a higher credit limit and just 18 percent ask for the annual fee waiver.

The most common response, according to the survey, was that people did not know they could ask for these benefits.

Most credit companies allow a certain number of late payment fee waivers, an article about the survey explains. Other decisions are usually made on a case by case basis considering factors like payment history and how large the fee is.

The likelihood of being approved for a request increases with education and income, but the success rate is still high among those with high school education and an annual household income lower than $40,000.

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